Alfred State Clubs & Organizations Crowdfunding

Great Race X-Cup Team

"$56 for the '56"

Support our 2019 Great Race Team

Alfred State College will send a qualified team of students
to compete in the 2019 Great Race this June.
This will be the fifth year in a row that a team from the college not
only participates in the premier classic car event in the world, but provides
expertise and repair skills to any of the 140 other teams from around the world
in the event their vehicle has trouble.
Five students will drive and navigate in the X-Cup division reserved for
school-based teams. After four years of driving
the college 1953 Dodge Power Wagon wrecker over the 2,300 mile event, this year
a shiny black 1956 Mercury Medalist will join the team.

What is the Great Race?

The Great Race is an antique,
vintage, and collector car competitive controlled-speed endurance road rally on
public highways. This year, the annual rally begins June 22 in
Riverside, CA, and continues for 2,300 miles before ending June 30 in Tacoma,
WA. The event tests teams’ abilities to follow precise course instructions and
their vehicle’s ability to endure on a cross-country trip. The score
for each team is the result of the team’s ability to follow the designated
course instructions precisely. Every second off the perfect time (early or
late) at each checkpoint is a penalty point. Fewest points win!
Cell phones, GPS or trip computers are not permitted and odometers are taped
over. Alfred State teams have earned a number of "aces"
(perfect times) on individual legs of previous rallies.

Why do we do it?

1. Although much of our day is
spent with the latest technology learning to repair complex automotive systems,
many of our students are fascinated with classic cars. Alfred State has
one of the largest Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) student chapters
in the nation. The Great Race provides an opportunity for some club members to
follow their passion in the national spotlight.

2. The Alfred State Automotive program is ranked #4 in the
Northeast. That's not good enough. The event gives the Auto Trades
Department national exposure to expand our recruitment base and show
prospective students and their parents that we are dedicated to the world of
cars. Contacts made through the Great Race and AACA have resulted in over
$20,000 in student scholarships in the last three years.

3. Participation
in the event changes lives. Every year, a fresh group of
students travels to places they have never been and meet people they would
never have met. The students assist other teams by helping to repair
their classic cars almost every night, making new friends along the way.
The Great Race is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

What about
the "56"?

The 1956 Mercury Medalist is a classic fifties hot rod with a
stock 312 C.I. V-8 and a three speed standard transmission. It is owned by Jim Claire, an active member
of the Chemung Valley Region AACA.

So who needs some help?

That would be five Alfred State students and their faculty
adviser, Greg Traugh. Jacob Derk and Jordan Dunning are Truck and
Diesel seniors who competed in the 2018 Great Race from Buffalo to Nova Scotia.
Jacob Minkle is a mechanical engineering student, and Caryl Koch and Hunter
Mayne are Motorsports students. All
upstate New York residents, they are the members of this year's team and
they're either still in college or just graduated. That means they're on
a budget. Hotels, meals, travel expenses and parts all add up. All
funds for the trip are raised by the team. You can help support these young men
and the classic car hobby by joining together and making a donation to the
cause.

To donate, click on the "Donate Now" button. When the donor form comes up, click on The Great Race in the drop-down box. Thank You!